April 2009

Ahh, shoe tying. It’s one of those rites of passage that most children go through in their early elementary years…at least, that’s the goal. There are so many ways to go about teaching this skill, and a google search led me to countless rhymes, poems, and little ditties breaking down this skill into manageable steps. […]

Happy Tuesday! It’s another gray day, but it’s always sunny inside the walls of the Hope Institute :) I have been burning CDs and preparing materials for May all morning, so I thought I’d take a break and do a little blogging. Yesterday as I was brainstorming new song ideas, a character popped into my […]

Rain, rain, go away! I’ve been singing that tune an awful lot this month, which means I’ve also spent a good amount of time counting umbrellas with my students. Of course I’d rather be counting things like suns, sunglasses, and flowers, but I’m just happy to be through with snowflakes, jackets, and mittens. I’ll take […]

Finally…and I think it’s here to stay. We are in for two 80-degree days, and then a string of 70s, which is more than okay with me! It feels so good to be able to go outside without a jacket. And in honor of the beautiful warm weather, here is my “Warm Day” song, which […]

It’s April 22, which means it’s time to recycle, plant a tree, and be thankful for Mother Earth. Of course, we should do those things every day of the year, and today – Earth Day – only reinforces our awareness. What are you going to do to celebrate? The students at my school will be […]

Memorizing a string of numbers can be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary for each and every child to know his/her home phone number. And what is the best way to learn? Why, with a song, of course! “Digit Dance” makes this task a little more fun…I used a made-up phone number for the first […]

Good morning! I’m back from my trip to San Diego, which was amazing in every way. The weather was perfect – sunny and in the 70s every day – and the city definitely lived up to its reputation. We had a great time hitting up all of the tourist destinations, but I think my favorite […]

In just a few hours, my husband and I are taking off for a much-needed vacation in San Diego, where hopefully the weather will be warm and the sun will be shining. (Basically the polar opposite of central Illinois, where it is overcast and cold.) We have plans to explore the city, tour the San […]

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how fiercely my students become attached to certain books, songs, and activities, but it never ceases to amaze me that they can be just as amused today with “Eight Silly Monkeys” as they were 18 months ago. One of my students in particular is very attached to that […]

I hope you all are enjoying your Easter Sunday. Mine started with a beautiful church service, which included a great sermon and lots of music. On the way home, my mom and I were discussing how Easter celebrations have changed over the years, now that my brother and I are adults and we have no […]

Would you like to own all 150 of these songs? Well guess what…you can, for only 99 cents. That’s right – 150 fun kids’ songs for less than a dollar. No, I am not doing an infomercial; I’m just really excited about this incredible deal. It’s happening on Amazon through April 12, so the clock […]

I know we just counted bunnies yesterday, but I had to share this cute book with you that just happens to feature counting, as well. It’s called Ten Little Eggs by Jean Marzollo, and the best thing about this book is the 3-D colored eggs on each page. As the story progresses, a bird hatches […]

Easter is on its way, which means we’ve been singing about all things related. Bunnies are an especially hot topic, and that is what we’re counting today. Here we go! Counting time, it’s counting time,So let’s all sing this simple rhyme.Ten little bunnies in a row,Now let’s count them nice and slow: 1, 2, 3, […]

Yesterday was the first official day of Spring Break, and I packed a whole lot into just a few hours. I took my mom out to lunch for her birthday, ran errands, snuck in a nap, taught two piano lessons and led one music therapy group, all before 6 pm. After a quick dinner, my […]

Woohoo! After a long, cold winter, there’s really nothing better than an entire week off of school. Spring break was made for catching up on sleep, friends, and life in general, and that is exactly what I plan to do with mine! I will still be seeing some of my students who are not on […]

I spend most of my days working with children who are diagnosed with autism. Today is a day to recognize every single one of those children, as well as the rest of the world’s population of individuals with autism. It is also a day to be thankful for all of the people who provide care […]